Knoxville couple has baby boy through embryo adoption

Most people who struggle with infertility will tell you it's exhausting and incredibly painful. Jerry and Amber Lacey would agree. They endured failed treatments and a failed adoption. The couple had almost given up their dream of having a child. Then, they found another option not far from home.

Author:
Beth Haynes

Published:
4:34 PM EDT May 20, 2016

Updated:
9:36 AM EDT May 21, 2016

Most people who struggle with infertility will tell you it's exhausting and incredibly painful.Amber and Jerry Lacey would agree. They endured failed treatments and a failed adoption in their quest to start a family.

They had almost given up hope, until they found an another option not far from home.

“In 9 years of trying, it’s very sad to never see 2 lines on a pregnancy test,” says Amber Lacey.

“The innate desire of most women is to know the feeling to bring life into the world and knowing that I might not be able to do that was pretty hard for me,” admits Amber.

“I'd seen this many times with her coming home and crying to me that it's just not fair,” says Jerry.

They started fertility drugs and even tried in uterine insemination.

“We failed miserably at those. Never got pregnant,” says Amber. “We hit the road block where the doctor said it's time to consider IVF. I knew I wasn't there mentally or physically. And, I told my husband that we needed time to think about it and pray about it.”

They took a year and a half break.

“Finally sitting in church one day we really just felt called to adopt," says Amber. "So we moved forward with a domestic adoption."

“We had the baby for just 16 hours,” says Amber. “I knew that we felt called to adopt and I was very concerned we couldn't do that again. Financially we couldn't take the risk. Emotionally we couldn't take it.”

Amber was surprised to learn about the National Embryo Donation Center.

“We're Knoxville people and it was in Farragut,” says Amber. “Who knew!”

NEDC performs about 10 percent of all embryo adoption cycles in the country.

“We've had patients from almost every state and from a few other countries,” says Dr. Jeffrey Keenan, NEDC President and Medical Director. “It's a pretty straight forward process.”

Basically, donor embryos, typically from families who’ve been through in vitro fertilization, are transferred to recipients.

Couple has baby boy through embryo adoption

Amber and Jerry Lacey struggled for years to get pregnant. They chose not to try in vitro fertilization. A friend later told them about embryo adoption.

After 9 years of trying to have a baby, Amber Lacey finally became pregnant through emrbyo adoption. "We came in for that six week ultrasound and there was a flicker of a heart beat, and I just couldn't believe it," she said.

Amber Lacey holds up a sonogram of son, Sawyer. She became pregnant through embryo adoption. "The fact that with embryo donation was I could carry my adopted child," she said. "And I thought, 'Wow, that's a really cool concept.'"

Amber and Jerry Lacey pose with Dr. Jeffrey Keenan of the National Embryo Donation Center in Farragut.

Amber Lacey and her husband, Jerry, celebrate their newborn son, Sawyer. "He was healthy," she said. "The first cries were the best sound I'd ever heard."

Amber Lacey with husband, Jerry, and son, Sawyer.

Amber Lacey poses with her husband and son. "It feels so good to finally be a mom," she said. "Just to be one of them."

01/07

Amber and Jerry Lacey struggled for years to get pregnant. They chose not to try in vitro fertilization. A friend later told them about embryo adoption.

02/07

After 9 years of trying to have a baby, Amber Lacey finally became pregnant through emrbyo adoption. "We came in for that six week ultrasound and there was a flicker of a heart beat, and I just couldn't believe it," she said.

03/07

Amber Lacey holds up a sonogram of son, Sawyer. She became pregnant through embryo adoption. "The fact that with embryo donation was I could carry my adopted child," she said. "And I thought, 'Wow, that's a really cool concept.'"

04/07

Amber and Jerry Lacey pose with Dr. Jeffrey Keenan of the National Embryo Donation Center in Farragut.

05/07

Amber Lacey and her husband, Jerry, celebrate their newborn son, Sawyer. "He was healthy," she said. "The first cries were the best sound I'd ever heard."

06/07

Amber Lacey with husband, Jerry, and son, Sawyer.

07/07

Amber Lacey poses with her husband and son. "It feels so good to finally be a mom," she said. "Just to be one of them."

“They just take estrogen anywhere from 12 to 20 days and then begin some progesterone shots,” explains Dr. Keenan. “They have an embryo transfer a few days later and go back home. Then, they go back to their clinic and get a pregnancy test.”

According to Dr. Keenan, embryo adoption is not as involved as in vitro fertilization.

“Not nearly as many shots and blood tests,” says Dr. Keenan.

And, embryo adoption is cheaper.

“It's probably the most cost effective way to build a family,” says Dr. Keenan.

On average, recipients spend about $7,500 on the initial embryo transfer cycle.

And, NEDC is proud of its success rate.

In 2014, the center's delivery rate per transfer was 53 percent, 17 percent higher than the national average.

Dr. Keenan says his average embryo adoption patient is late 30's.

“We take patients up until their 46 birthday. And, we've done transfers the day before that 46 birthday and they conceived.”

The selection process for embryo donation is done both anonymously and openly.

“In the case of anonymous adoption, we give the couples all the profiles we have of the donors,” says Dr. Keenan.